NUAPADA: The Chakotia Bhunjia tribals in Bhaosil village under Soseng gram panchayat in Komna block set their own kitchens on fire yesterday. The village is located inside Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary and home to as many as 50 Chakotia Bhunjia families.
They charged the security personnel with desecrating their kitchens, referred to as Lal Bangla because of its distinctive red colour, by entering them during a combing operation on January 29. Demanding compensation, they had notified about their decision in a memorandum to the Nuapada district administration.
Bhunjia tribals consider their kitchen as ‘Duma Debta’, one of the deities worshipped by them. They said that with the entry of security personnel, the kitchen had lost its sanctity and need to be rebuilt. Keeping with their religious sentiments and tradition, they burnt down their kitchens.
They had been cooking out in the open ever since the security personnel entered the kitchens searching for Maoists.